My New Hair with Marie Lou & D Salon

A lot of you guys noticed that I recently got a new haircut and changed my hair color—and I couldn’t be happier! My hair makeover took place at a Soho-based Marie Lou & D salon and I’m delighted to share with you all the details of my hair transformation, as well as quick tutorials on how I style my trendy asymmetrical haircut. Before we begin, I’d like to share with you a discount code for Marie Lou & D salon—just in case you decide that you’re ready for a new image for this upcoming season. The code is KATYA and it gives you a 15% discount off any service you book—from mani-pedi and facials to hair color and haircuts!

BEFORE

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you’ve probably noticed that over the course of this year I changed my hair color three times (ombre by Maria Teresa Sansalone, sombre in collaboration with Garnier, and deep brown in collaboration with Aveda). What you don’t know is that, after those three wonderful experiences, I went to a prestigious Upper East Side-based salon (I prefer not to name it in this post) for a general roots touch up and they totally ruined all the wonderful work Aveda had done on my hair. Instead of matching my already perfect shade of brown, the colorist at this unnamed salon turned my roots a rusty shade of orange, and then refused to do a touch up…

To say the least, I was very frustrated. I immediately picked up a no-ammonia hair dye from a pharmacy and colored my hair myself. The shade turned out okay, but it wasn’t washing off evenly, not to mention that it was way darker than necessary. The rapid color change also left my hair damaged, so I literally lived off anti-frizz sprays and did two hair masks a week (It’s a 10 mask and amika mask).

In other words, I was dissatisfied with my hair color and ready for a change when the Soho-based salon Marie Lou & D reached out to me offering a hair makeover. I gladly agreed and scheduled my appointments with Joseph (colorist) and Hugo (hair stylist). By the way, if you don’t like scheduling your appointments via phone (it’s 212-390-8666), you can easily book them online—the salon has a super easy system that allows you to book appointments in a matter of seconds.

DURING

To begin my review, I have to mention that Marie Lou & D has one of the most beautiful open-space interiors around so you’ll definitely enjoy your time at the salon. The friendly hostess will offer you refreshments, magazines—anything you need to make your experience even more memorable. Oh, did I notice that you’re getting massage while the assistant is washing your hair? I know, it’s a decadent experience!

My visit to Marie Lou & D started with a consultation with Joseph, a hair colorist I was working with. After examining my hair he mentioned that using a non-professional hair dye was definitely not the best idea. Many drugstore hair dyes, especially dark tones, are infused with coal-tar, which builds up on your hair and makes it difficult to eliminate the pigment once you decide to change the color at the salon. Those affordable hair dyes also have a tendency to build up over time so your roots often look lighter than the ends.

To bring my hair back to normal color, Joseph decided to use a technique called hair painting: first, he bleached my hair, and then he applied a lighter shade of brown, leaving some strands aside to create a highlighting effect. The whole procedure took a few hours, but the result definitely was worth the wait. While Joseph was working on my hair, I asked him all sorts of questions about how to take care of my hair and he recommended taking a little break from my dramatic hair color changes in order to restore my hair. Considering how much I love my new, very natural and healthy-looking hair color, I will definitely follow his advice and keep my hair this color for a while!

After Joseph finished with my hair, I started working with Hugo, who proposed the most creative hairstyle I’ve had in a while. I told Hugo that I’m bored with my one-length hair that I seem to always style the same way and he asked what I would think of… an asymmetric bob! Without any doubt, I said ‘yes’ to this awesome idea, as my hair grows thicker on one side of my head, so getting an asymmetric cut will help me to emphasize the volume where it’s needed. The haircut didn’t disappoint and I instantly fell in love with my new, super-convenient and easy-to-style hair!

AFTER

At first, I was thinking that having short hair is somewhat limiting: there are only a few hairstyles you can do. As it turned out, my long hair provided me with fewer options than a new asymmetric bob. A few years ago, when I was trying to grow my hair longer, I wore it 80% of the time in a bun or a ponytail, which for me totally kills the idea of having long hair at all. What I learned is that my new hairstyle and hair color actually allow me to create lots of cute (and quick!) hairstyles. Actually, I’m so satisfied with my new ‘do’ that I decided to dedicate a few September posts to my favorite hairstyles. Stay tuned, as I’ll be posting lots of tutorials on how to style a short, asymmetric haircut.

Meanwhile, I look forward to hearing your thoughts on my new hair color and hairstyle. Do you like it? Also, don’t forget about the opportunity to get a 15% off discount at Marie Lou & Dwith the code KATYA. Whether you’re planning on changing your hair color or getting a trendy new haircut, I think you’ll be as happy with your new hair as I am with mine!